26% context use from first message

[cranyy]

What version of Codex is running?

OpenAI Codex (v0.93.0)

What subscription do you have?

Pro

Which model were you using?

gpt-5.1-codex-mini medium

What platform is your computer?

No response

What terminal emulator and version are you using (if applicable)?

No response

What issue are you seeing?

On literal first message, even with complete lack of a global AGENTS.md, in a completely empty folder, with zero context, with all skills deleted. The first message even if its Hi takes 26% of the context immediately leaving us with 74% EVEN with gpt-5.1-codex-mini medium. This literally never happened before (last i used was .91) and I havent changed any mcps or any skills or anything for MONTHS now. If its an issue on my end, what could it possible be?

╭─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────╮
│ >_ OpenAI Codex (v0.93.0)                               │
│                                                         │
│ model:     gpt-5.1-codex-mini medium   /model to change │
│ directory: /mnt/e/empty                                 │
╰─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────╯

  Tip: You can run any shell command from Codex using ! (e.g. !ls)

⚠ MCP client for `CodeGraphContext` failed to start: MCP startup failed: handshaking with MCP server failed: connection closed: initialize response

⚠ MCP startup incomplete (failed: CodeGraphContext)


› Implement {feature}

  ? for shortcuts                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    

100% context left

and we say hi:

╭─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────╮
│ >_ OpenAI Codex (v0.93.0)                               │
│                                                         │
│ model:     gpt-5.1-codex-mini medium   /model to change │
│ directory: /mnt/e/empty                                 │
╰─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────╯

  Tip: You can run any shell command from Codex using ! (e.g. !ls)

⚠ MCP client for `CodeGraphContext` failed to start: MCP startup failed: handshaking with MCP server failed: connection closed: initialize response

⚠ MCP startup incomplete (failed: CodeGraphContext)


› hi


• 👋 Hi there! How can I help you today?


› Implement {feature}

  ? for shortcuts                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     

74% context left

thread ID 019c178e-79dd-7770-b777-93c597386f2e

What steps can reproduce the bug?

Say hi to codex.

What is the expected behavior?

No response

Additional information

No response

[etraut-openai]

Hmm, this is definitely unexpected.

When I try to replicate your usage (gpt-5.1-codex-mini medium with no AGENTS.md), I see 95% left after the first message.

Do you have any non-default settings configured?

I see that you have several MCPs configured. Depending on how an MCP is written, it can consume significant context. But if you haven't changed or updated your MCPs in a long time, that doesn't seem like it would be the problem.

You mentioned that you recently observed a behavior change. Do you suspect that it might be a client-side regression in 0.93? If so, does downgrading to 0.92 change the behavior?

[cranyy]

019c17eb-b715-7912-85ee-afd07486bbfc i temporarily deleted all MCPs tried in a completely different folder, still exactly the same:

│ >_ OpenAI Codex (v0.93.0)                   │
│                                             │
│ model:     gpt-5.2-codex   /model to change │
│ directory: /mnt/e/cox-t                     │
╰─────────────────────────────────────────────╯

  Tip: Press Tab to queue a message instead of sending it immediately; Enter always sends immediately.

/mcp

🔌  MCP Tools

  • No MCP servers configured.
    See the MCP docs to configure them.

• Model changed to gpt-5.1-codex-mini medium


› Hi


• Quick hello

  - Hi there! Let me know what you’d like to work on—code change, review, or something else.

• Feedback uploaded. Please open an issue using the following URL:

  https://github.com/openai/codex/issues/new?template=2-bug-report.yml&steps=Uploaded%20thread:%20019c17eb-b715-7912-85ee-afd07486bbfc

  Or mention your thread ID 019c17eb-b715-7912-85ee-afd07486bbfc in an existing issue.

• Model changed to gpt-5.2-codex medium


› Improve documentation in @filename

  ? for shortcuts                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 

74% context left

I tried reverting then to 0.92 (019c180a-cf05-7d82-97e9-97e7517182b2 ) and it doesnt happen:

╭─────────────────────────────────────────────╮
│ >_ OpenAI Codex (v0.92.0)                   │
│                                             │
│ model:     gpt-5.2-codex   /model to change │
│ directory: /mnt/e/empty                     │
╰─────────────────────────────────────────────╯

  Tip: Start a fresh idea with /new; the previous session stays in history.


› hi


• Hi! What can I help with?


› Improve documentation in @filename

  
100% context left · ? for shortcuts

But when using
tmp="/tmp/codex-0930-$$"; WORKDIR="/mnt/e/empty"; mkdir -p "$tmp/codex-home" "$tmp/npm-cache" "$tmp/npm-prefix"; cd "$WORKDIR" && CODEX_HOME="$tmp/codex-home" NPM_CONFIG_CACHE="$tmp/npm-cache" NPM_CONFIG_PREFIX="$tmp/npm-prefix" npm exec --yes --package @openai/codex@0.93.0 --
codex --config 'cli_auth_credentials_store="file"'; rm -rf "$tmp"

to create a completely isolated fresh install of 0.93 it again works, so the problem must be on my end, but for the life of me I cannot understand why.
Should I just nuke everything, reinstall and just copy over my current config.toml will that resolve it?

[etraut-openai]

Looking at your session details and logs, I don't have any good working theories as to the cause.

Yeah, I think I'd try reinstalling to see if that fixes it. Make sure you don't have CODEX_HOME pointing to an unintended location. Make sure you don't have a project-local .codex/config.toml that's overriding values in your user-level config.